# Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers men's basketball

The Kentucky Wesleyan College Panthers men's basketball team represents Kentucky Wesleyan College, a private college located in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Panthers compete in the NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), They have won the NCAA Division II tournament eight times, most recently in the year 2001.
Joel Utley was the "Voice of the Panthers" from 1962 to 2022 (including all eight championships), broadcasting a play-by-play of all Wesleyan basketball games on local Owensboro radio station WBIO.

## Conference play

Kentucky Wesleyan is a charter member of the G-MAC (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) that will begin active competition in the 2013–2014 academic season with 8 current NCAA Division II members and one institution transitioning from the NAIA, giving the NCAA D 2 conference 9 members in its first season of full activation. KWC will leave the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after the 2012–13 academic season. Their basketball team frequently represented the GLVC in the NCAA Division II tournament, winning four national championships in basketball while members of the GLVC. After coming off NCAA probation, the Panthers finished 13–14 in the 2007 season, and participated in the NCAA Division 2 tournament for five straight seasons from 2008 to 2012, and were Regional Runners Up in the 2012 season.

## Division II Championship appearances

The Panthers advanced to the Division II championship game six consecutive years (1998–2003), winning in 1999 and 2001; the team later forfeited its 2003 runner-up status after it was revealed they had let two ineligible transfer players play.
In addition, they won six other championships (1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, and 1990) and were runners-up in 1957. Overall, Kentucky Wesleyan has won eight NCAA Division II National Men's Basketball Championships, which is the most by any NCAA Division II School.

## Notable players
### Retired numbers

Eight Panthers have had their numbers retired. Seven are for players and one was retired for team physician Dr. William McManus, who worked for the team for 29 years (1965–1994).
Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers retired jerseys :
| No. | Player | Career |
| 10 | Rod Drake | 1981–1984 |
| 22 | Dallas Thornton | 1964–1968 |
| 23 | Corey Crowder | 1987–1991 |
| 24 | Dwight Higgs | 1981–1984 |
| 29 | Dr. William McManus | 1965–1994 |
| 45 | Kelly Coleman | 1958–1960 |
| 50 | George Tinsley | 1966–1969 |
| 75 | Fairce Woods | 1946–1949 |
Three Kentucky Wesleyan basketball players played in the American Basketball Association: George Tinsley, Sam Smith, and Dallas Thornton. One Kentucky Wesleyan basketball player has played in the National Basketball Association: Corey Crowder. Crowder played two seasons in the NBA for the Utah Jazz (1991–1992) and the San Antonio Spurs (1994–1995) and later played 14 seasons in Italy, Spain, France and Israel. He was a key member of the 1990 NCAA Division II National Championship team. Crowder was a three-time All-American performer, newcomer of the year in the GLVC, two-time GLVC "Player of the Year" and the 1991 NABC "Player of The Year" in Division II, which helped get him elected to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2002. Dazmond Starke 2012–2013, led the NCAA Division II in Field goal % with 67.4%.

### Panthers in international leagues

* Mohamed Abu Arisha (born 1997), Israeli basketball player for Hapoel Be'er Sheva of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the Israeli national basketball team

## Season-by-season results

The following is a list of Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers men's basketball seasons, with records and notable accomplishments
Statistics overview :
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
| V.I. Moore (Independent) (1907–1910) ||||||
| 1906–07 | V.I. Moore | 0–1 | | | |
| 1907–08 | V.I. Moore | 0–1 | | | |
| 1908–09 | V.I. Moore | 2–1 | | | |
| 1909–10 | V.I. Moore | 5–3 | | | |
| V.I. Moore: | V.I. Moore: | 7–6 | | | |
| Unknown (Independent) (1910–1916) ||||||
| 1910–11 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 4–1 | | | |
| 1911–12 | Kentucky Wesleyan | N/A | | | |
| 1912–13 | Kentucky Wesleyan | N/A | | | |
| 1913–14 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 0–6 | | | |
| 1914–15 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 2–1 | | | |
| 1915–16 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 0–6 | | | |
| Unknown: | Unknown: | 6–14 | | | |
| John Cobb (Independent) (1916–1917) ||||||
| 1916–17 | John Cobb | 5–1 | | | |
| John Cobb: | John Cobb: | 5–1 | | | |
| Unknown (Independent) (1917–1919) ||||||
| 1917–18 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 6–7 | | | |
| 1918–19 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 0–7 | | | |
| Unknown: | Unknown: | 6–14 | | | |
| William E. Arnold (Independent) (1919–1920) ||||||
| 1919–20 | William E. Arnold | 11–3 | | | |
| William E. Arnold: | William E. Arnold: | 11–3 | | | |
| Jesse Sibley (Independent) (1920–1922) ||||||
| 1920–21 | Jesse Sibley | 7–7 | | | |
| 1921–22 | Jesse Sibley | 5–4 | | | |
| Jesse Sibley: | Jesse Sibley: | 12–11 | | | |
| Basil Hayden (Independent) (1922–1923) ||||||
| 1922–23 | Basil Hayden | 8–1 | | | |
| Basil Hayden: | Basil Hayden: | 8–1 | | | |
| L.G. Mansfield (Independent) (1923–1924) ||||||
| 1923–24 | L.G. Mansfield | 10–6 | | | |
| L.G. Mansfield: | L.G. Mansfield: | 10–6 | | | |
| C.A. Webb (Independent) (1924–1928) ||||||
| 1924–25 | C.A. Webb | 13–5 | | | |
| 1925–26 | C.A. Webb | 17–6 | | | |
| 1926–27 | C.A. Webb | 9–6 | | | |
| C.A. Webb: | C.A. Webb: | 39–17 | | | |
| E.R. Miller (Independent) (1927–1928) ||||||
| 1927–28 | E.R. Miller | 6–12 | | | |
| E.R. Miller: | E.R. Miller: | 6–12 | | | |
| Walter "Rip" Van Winkle (Independent) (1928–1932) ||||||
| 1928–29 | Walter "Rip" Van Winkle | 14–7 | | | |
| 1929–30 | Walter "Rip" Van Winkle | 17–9 | | | |
| 1930–31 | Walter "Rip" Van Winkle | 12–7 | | | |
| 1931–32 | Walter "Rip" Van Winkle | 6–11 | | | |
| Walter "Rip" Van Winkle: | Walter "Rip" Van Winkle: | 49–34 | | | |
| George Ditto (Independent) (1932–1941) ||||||
| 1932–33 | George Ditto | 8–9 | | | |
| 1933–34 | George Ditto | 4–12 | | | |
| 1934–35 | George Ditto | 8–9 | | | |
| 1935–36 | George Ditto | 8–13 | | | |
| 1936–37 | George Ditto | 8–8 | | | |
| 1937–38 | George Ditto | 8–9 | | | |
| 1938–39 | George Ditto | 3–13 | | | |
| 1939–40 | George Ditto | 3–12 | | | |
| 1940–41 | George Ditto | 9–7 | | | |
| George Ditto: | George Ditto: | 59-92 | | | |
| Arthur Gullette (Independent) (1941–1942) ||||||
| 1941–42 | Arthur Gullette | 10–9 | | | |
| Arthur Gullette: | Arthur Gullette: | 10–9 | | | |
| Robert "Bullet" Wilson (Independent) (1942–1957) ||||||
| 1942–43 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 9–5 | | | |
| 1943–44 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | N/A | | | |
| 1944–45 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | N/A | | | |
| 1945–46 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 8–10 | | | |
| 1946–47 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 11–9 | | | |
| 1947–48 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 13–12 | | | |
| 1948–49 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 13–14 | | | |
| 1949–50 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 13–10 | | | |
| 1950–51 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 16–7 | | | |
| 1951–52 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 16–7 | | | |
| 1952–53 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 12–10 | | | |
| 1953–54 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 17–10 | | | |
| 1954–55 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 14–10 | | | |
| 1955–56 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 18–4 | | | |
| 1956–57 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 16–12 | | | NCAA Div II Runner-up |
| Robert "Bullet" Wilson (Independent, Division 1) (1957–1958) ||||||
| 1957–58 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 14–10 | | | |
| Robert "Bullet" Wilson (Independent, Division 2) (1958–1959) ||||||
| 1958–59 | Robert "Bullet" Wilson | 14–11 | | | |
| Robert "Bullet" Wilson: | Robert "Bullet" Wilson: | 204–141 | | | |
| T. L. Plain (Independent) (1959–1963) ||||||
| 1959–60 | T. L. Plain | 18–11 | | | NCAA Div II Third Place |
| 1960–61 | T. L. Plain | 15–8 | | | NCAA Div II first round |
| 1961–62 | T. L. Plain | 21–4 | | | |
| 1962–63 | T. L. Plain | 9–11 | | | |
| T.L. Plain: | T.L. Plain: | 63–34 | | | |
| Guy R. Strong (Independent) (1963–1967) ||||||
| 1963–64 | Guy R. Strong | 15–8 | | | NCAA Div II first round |
| 1964–65 | Guy R. Strong | 9–12 | | | |
| 1965–66 | Guy R. Strong | 24–6 | | | NCAA Div II Champion |
| 1966–67 | Guy R. Strong | 25–4 | | | NCAA Div II Third Place |
| Guy R. Strong: | Guy R. Strong: | 73–30 | | | |
| Bob Daniels (Independent) (1967–1972) ||||||
| 1967–68 | Bob Daniels | 28–3 | | | NCAA Div II Champion |
| 1968–69 | Bob Daniels | 28–5 | | | NCAA Div II Champion |
| 1969–70 | Bob Daniels | 18–10 | | | NCAA Div II Regional Final |
| 1970–71 | Bob Daniels | 22–8 | | | NCAA Div II Fourth Place |
| 1971–72 | Bob Daniels | 17–10 | | | NCAA Div II Round of 32 |
| Bob Daniels: | Bob Daniels: | 110–36 | | | |
| Bob Jones (Independent) (1972–1978) ||||||
| 1972–73 | Bob Jones | 24–6 | | | NCAA Div II Champion |
| 1973–74 | Bob Jones | 20–6 | | | NCAA Div II Regional Final |
| 1974–75 | Bob Jones | 12–13 | | | |
| 1975–76 | Bob Jones | 14–11 | | | |
| 1976–77 | Bob Jones | 11–14 | | | |
| 1977–78 | Bob Jones | 14–11 | | | |
| Bob Jones (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1978–1980) ||||||
| 1978–79 | Bob Jones | 12–14 | 2–6 | 5th | |
| 1979–80 | Bob Jones | 12–15 | 4–6 | 4th | |
| Bob Jones: | Bob Jones: | 119–90 | 6–12 | | |
| Mike Pollio (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1980–1985) ||||||
| 1980–81 | Mike Pollio | 16–12 | 7–4 | 2nd | |
| 1981–82 | Mike Pollio | 27–5 | 9–3 | 2nd | NCAA Div II Third Place |
| 1982–83 | Mike Pollio | 22–8 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA Div II Regional Final |
| 1983–84 | Mike Pollio | 28–3 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA Div II Third Place |
| 1984–85 | Mike Pollio | 24–7 | 10–4 | 1st-T | NCAA Div II Third Place |
| Mike Pollio: | Mike Pollio: | 117–35 | 46–15 | | |
| Wayne Chapman (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1985–1990) ||||||
| 1985–86 | Wayne Chapman | 22–8 | 12–4 | 2nd | NCAA Div II first round |
| 1986–87 | Wayne Chapman | 28–5 | 13–3 | 1st | NCAA Div II Champion |
| 1987–88 | Wayne Chapman | 23–7 | 12–4 | 1st-T | NCAA Div II Regional Final |
| 1988–89 | Wayne Chapman | 24–7 | 13–3 | 1st | NCAA Div II Elite Eight |
| 1989–90 | Wayne Chapman | 31–2 | 16–2 | 1st | NCAA Div II Champion |
| Wayne Chapman: | Wayne Chapman: | 128–29 | 66–16 | | |
| Wayne Boultinghouse (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1990–1996) ||||||
| 1990–91 | Wayne Boultinghouse | 22–8 | 14–4 | 1st-T | NCAA Div II first round |
| 1991–92 | Wayne Boultinghouse | 23–8 | 13–5 | 1st-T | NCAA Div II Elite Eight |
| 1992–93 | Wayne Boultinghouse | 21–6 | 13–5 | 3rd | |
| 1993–94 | Wayne Boultinghouse | 23–7 | 13–5 | 2nd | NCAA Div II Regional semifinal |
| 1994–95 | Wayne Boultinghouse | 23–6 | 16–2 | 1st-T | NCAA Div II first round |
| 1995–96 | Wayne Boultinghouse | 17–10 | 13–7 | 4th | |
| Wayne Boultinghouse: | Wayne Boultinghouse: | 129–45 | 82–28 | | |
| Ray Harper (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1996–2005) ||||||
| 1996–97 | Ray Harper | 21–8 | 14–6 | 5th | |
| 1997–98 | Ray Harper | 30–3 | 17–2 | 1st | NCAA Div II Runner-up |
| 1998–99 | Ray Harper | 35–2 | 20–2 | 1st | NCAA Div II Champion |
| 1999–00 | Ray Harper | 31–3 | 18–2 | 1st | NCAA Div II Runner-up |
| 2000–01 | Ray Harper | 30–3 | 17–3 | 2nd | NCAA Div II Champion |
| 2001–02 | Ray Harper | 0-3 31–3*** | 19–1 | 1st | NCAA Div II Runner-up |
| 2002–03 | Ray Harper | 0-4 26–3***' | 18–2*** | 1st*** | NCAA Div II Runner-up*** |
| 2003–04 | Ray Harper | 2-8 22–8*** | 14–6*** | 3rd*** | NCAA Div II first round*** |
| 2004–05 | Ray Harper | 0-0 15–12*** | 9–11 | 6th | |
| Ray Harper: | Ray Harper: | 150-34 249–46*** | 146–35*** | | |
| Todd Lee (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (2005–2013) ||||||
| 2005–06 | Todd Lee | 7–19 | 4–15 | 12th | |
| 2006–07 | Todd Lee | 13–14 | 6–13 | 12th | |
| 2007–08 | Todd Lee | 28–8 | 14–5 | 3rd | NCAA Div II first round |
| 2008–09 | Todd Lee | 19–9 | 11–7 | 5th | NCAA Div II first round |
| 2009–10 | Todd Lee | 29–5 | 16–2 | 1st | NCAA Div II first round |
| 2010–11 | Todd Lee | 19–10 | 10–8 | 5th | NCAA Div II first round |
| 2011–12 | Todd Lee | 23–8 | 12–6 | 6th | NCAA Div II Regional Final |
| 2012–13 | Todd Lee | 20–8 | 11–7 | 7th | |
| Todd Lee: | Todd Lee: | 154–81 | 84–63 | | |
| Happy Osborne (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) (2013–2017) ||||||
| 2013–14 | Happy Osborne | 22-9 | 12-2 | 2nd | |
| 2014–15 | Happy Osborne | 22-8 | 10-4 | 2nd | |
| 2015–16 | Happy Osborne | 27-4 | 11-1 | 1st | NCAA Div II first round |
| 2016–17 | Happy Osborne | 28-3 | 12-0 | 1st | NCAA Div II first round |
| 2017–18 | Happy Osborne Jason Mays (Interim) | 15-16 | 9-11 | 8th | |
| Happy Osborne: | Happy Osborne: | 102-28 | 45-7 | | |
| Jason Mays: | Jason Mays: | 12-12 | 9-11 | | |
| Drew Cooper (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) (2018–present) ||||||
| 2018–19 | Drew Cooper | 10-16 | 8-12 | 9th | |
| 2019–20 | Drew Cooper | 13-16 | 9-9 | 6th | |
| 2020–21 | Drew Cooper | 10-6 | 9-5 | 4th | |
| 2021–22 | Drew Cooper | 14-14 | 9-11 | 7th | |
| 2022–23 | Drew Cooper | 15-14 | 11-9 | 8th | |
| 2023–24 | Drew Cooper | 21-9 | 15-5 | 1st | NCAA Div II first round |
| Drew Cooper: | Drew Cooper: | 62-66 | 46-46 | | |
| Total: | Total: | 1630-853-1 | | | |
| National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||
* *** 20 wins & 5 losses were vacated from the 2003–04 season and for the 2002–03 season the school had to vacate their NCAA Tournament Appearance, the 5 games of the NCAA tournament, (including their NCAA Div II Runner-Up), along with the GLVC regular season championship.